Carton closing apparatus for packaging machines



Nov. 9, 1954 w. GEISLER 2,693,671

CARTONCLOSING APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING MACHINES Filed Oct. 9, 1951 sSheet-Sheet 1 Java-afar 6 2 7 9 E 285 is" W. GEISLER Nov. 9, 1954 6Sheets-Sheet 2 Tiled Oct. 9, 1951 3 FJE aw a M r r J N w A I. Z 2 3 e eAN 5 i1- Y @w 2 TH z mw I NR J w m... kw A .kmm H- F, %m I- wwmu & 1L0.z\\/ 0 o C o w. GEISLER 2,693,671 CARTON CLOSING APPARATUS FOR PACKAGINGMACHINES Nov. 9, 1954 Filed Oct. 9, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 W. GEISLERNov. 9, 1954 CARTON CLOSING APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING MACHINES 8Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 9, 1951 Nov. 9, 1954 w. GEISLER 2,693,671

CARTON CLOSING APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING MACHINES Filed Oct. 9, 1951 sSheets-Sheet 5 W. GEISLER Nov. 9, 1954 CARTON CLOSING APPARATUS FORPACKAGING MACHINES Filed Oct. 9, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 [Werzior UnitedStates Patent CARTON CLOSING APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING MACHINES WilliamGeislcr, Tenafly, N. J., assignor to Economic Machinery Company,Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 9,1951, Serial No. 250,505

23 Claims. (Cl. 5344) This invention relates to packaging machines andmore especially to mechanism for automatically closing a carton. Aspointed out in the copending application for Letters Patent Serial No.106,824, filed by William Geisler July 26, 1949, it is sometimesadvantageous to introduce the filling material into an empty cartonthrough an open side of the latter rather than through an opening at topor bottom. In particular when the filling material is a heavy unitcomprising, for example, a dozen filled bottles or cans arranged withina spacer grid, it is advantageous to have the closure flaps at one siderather than at the top or bottom, thus permitting the top or bottom ofthe filled carton to be a single piece of cardboard without seams orjoints, thereby affording a smooth level exterior surface easilyslidable along a floor or other support. Such an arrangement furtherinsures against accidental opening such as sometimes occurs when thefilled carton is lifted and the entire weight of the filler unit isimposed thereon.

While a carton designed to be filled from the side may have its closureflaps variously arranged, it has been found desirable, both from thestandpoint of economy in material and that of security of closure, toprovide the carton with a relatively narrow flap hinged to its top wall(the top wall being that which is uppermost when the filler unit isbeing introduced), a relatively wide flap hinged to the edge of thebottom wall, and end flaps hinged to the lateral edges of said widebottom flap. In a preferred construction, the wide bottom flap is wideenough substantially to cover and conceal the narrow top flap when thecarton is fully closed, and the end flaps are disposed within the cartonin contact with the inner surfaces of its respective vertical end wallswhen the carton is closed.

The present invention has for its principal object the provision ofautomatic mechanism for folding the closure flaps of a carton such asjust above described, and disposing them in the carton-closing position.A further object is to provide carton-closing means operative to foldclosure flaps, which have previously been provided with adhesive at theproper areas, in the necessary sequence to insure the proper location ofthe adhesively coated areas when the flaps are closed. A further objectis to provide flap-closing means operative to apply closing pressure atthe most effective location to cause adhesion of the flaps. A furtherobject is to provide carton-closing means operative to deliver theclosed carton in a position such that the weight of the contents of thecarton is efiective to hold the folded closure flaps in contact untilthe adhesive has set. A further object is to provide carton-closingmeans of simple type, comprising relatively few parts and which iscapable of handling cartons of substantial size and weight, for examplea carton containing a dozen quart bottles. Other and further objects andadvantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following moredetailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawingswherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with certain parts in verticalsection and others broken away, of the carton-closing unit of thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section, to larger scale than Fig. 1,on a plane parallel to the plane of the section of Fig. l, but spacedinwardly from the outside of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, vertical section, substantially on the line 3-3of Fig. 2;

ice

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section substantially on the line 4--4 of Fig.2, certain parts being omitted;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, with partsomitted;

Fig. 6 is a view, generally similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating the stepof delivering the closed carton from the closing mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a cardboard blank such asmay be used in preparing a carton of a type which is effectively closedby the closing mechanism of the present invention; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a carton prepared from a blank such asthat of Fig. 7, as it arrives at the closing mechanism of the presentinvention.

In the following discussion, the open side of the carton, through whichthe filler unit is introduced, and which is closed by foldable flaps, isreferred to as the front of the carton for convenience, but withoutlimiting intent, since the open side may as well be at the rear or end.

Referring to the drawings, and in particular to Fig. 3, the closingmechanism of the present invention is indicated by the character M, thisclosing mechanism being arranged at the delivery end of a conveyor,indicated as comprising horizontal rails 1 on which the carton C issupported as it is progressed toward the closing mechanism by areciprocating pusher P. The carton moves in the direction of the arrow Aand is guided in its movement by a horizontal rail or rails 2. It willbe understood that the carton, as it arrives at the closing mechanism,has already been provided with adhesive at the desired areas in passinggluing mechanism, indicated generally by the numeral 3 (Fig. 3).

Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, there is indicated diagrammatically the typeof carton which is to be closed by the mechanism M. Thus in Fig. 7 thereis shown a cardboard blank comprising ,integral portions, including thepart a which forms the top of the carton, the part b which forms therear vertical wall of the carton, the part c which forms the bottom ofthe carton, and the part d which forms the main portion of the frontwall of the carton after it has been closed. The parts a, b and c areprovided with lateral flaps f-g; h-k; and m n, which in the carton, asset up, form the opposite end walls of the carton, the flaps at each endbeing secured together by staples S (Fig. 8). The top member a isprovided with a narrow front closure flap e, and the main front closureflap d is of a width such that when the carton is closed it overlaps andsubstantially conceals the flap e. The main front closure flap d isprovided at its opposite edges with auxiliary or tuck-in flaps 0 and pwhich, in the completed carton, contact the inner surfaces of theopposite end walls respectively of the carton, formed by the flaps f, hand m, and g, k and n respectively.

The carton, as it appears in Fig. 8, is advanced along the conveyorrails 1 with one of its end walls (here shown in the wall whichcomprises the flaps g and n) in advance, that side of the carton whichis to be closed by the flaps e and d being open. In passing a fillingstation (not illustrated) on its way to the gluing and closing stations,a filler unit has been introduced through this open front of the carton.Such filling unit may, for example, consist of a dozen quart bottles,usually arranged within a spacer grid.

The carton in this condition is advanced to the closing mechanism M ofthe present invention, where it comes to rest upon a pair of normallyhorizontal, spaced rails 4 and 5, these rails extending at right anglesto the lengths of the conveyor rails 1 and being in the same horizontalplane as the latter. A fixed stop member 6 (Fig. 3) limits the advanceof the carton as it is progressed from the conveyor rails 1 into theclosing mechanism, the carton coming to rest on the rails 4 and 5 withits advancing end in contact with the stop 6.

The closing mechanism M of the present invention comprises a frame,including spaced uprights 7 (Figs. 1 and 3) which are connected neartheir upper ends by parallel, horizontal girder members 8 and 8 and neartheir lower ends by sill members 9. These sill members 9 support a motorbase 10 on which an electric motor T is mounted for horizontaladjustment in a direction perpendicular to the axis of its shaft. The.motor shaft is provided with a pulley 11 which is embraced by a belt 12which passes about a .pulley 13 fixed to a shaft 14 which turns inbearings in a speed reducer 15 secured to one of the frame members 7. Agear 16 is also fixed to the shaft 14 and this gear meshes with a gear17 fixed to a shaft 18 turning in bearings carried by the frame 7, andthis gear wheel 17 meshes with a gear wheel 19 normally free to turn ona shaft 20 which turns in bearings inthe girder members 8 and 8 Asprocket wheel 21 is fixed to the shaft 20. The gear 19 is connected attimes to this shaft by a one-revolution clutch mechanism of conventionaltype having an arm 20 keyed to the shaft 20; a dog 20*, engageable attimes with notches (not shown) in gear 19, and a controlling latch 22which is carried by a lever 23 connected by a link 24 to the plunger ofa solenoid 25. Engagement of the latch with the dog 20 disconnects thearm 2t) from the gear 19. This solenoid receives energy from anelectrical circuit in which there is arranged a switch Sdiagrammatically indicated in Fig. 3 which is normally open but which isclosed by contact with a carton as the latter comes to rest against thestop 6. The solenoid is thereby energized, thus actuating the latch 22to cause the clutch mechanism to connect the gear 19 to the shaft 20,the sprocket wheel 21 then making one complete revolution and thenautomatically stopping. During this single revolution of the sprocketwheel 21, all of the elements of the closing mechanism are actuated, sothat the carton is completely closed and delivered from the closingmechanism in a single revolution of the sprocket wheel 21.

A second sprocket wheel 26, in the same plane as the sprocket wheel 21,is fixed to a shaft 27 (Fig. 1) parallel to the shaft 20 and spacedtherefrom, the shaft 27 turning in bearings in the rails 8 and 8 Asprocket chain 28 embraces both sprocket wheels thereby driving thesprocket wheel 26 in time with the sprocket wheel 21. The sprocket chainis provided with two, carton-impelling members 29 and 30, respectively,spaced apart by half the length of the chain, the length of the chainbeing such that while one of the impelling elements is propelling theclosed carton out of the field of action of the closing mechanism, theother is approaching the position for contact With the next carton.

Near its right-hand side, as viewed in Fig. 1, the frame of the machinehas spaced, parallel uprights 31 and 32 (Figs. 3 and rigidly fixed tothe rails 8 and 8% respectively, and which are connected near theirupper ends by a fixed rod or shaft 32 (Fig. 6). A rocker, comprising asleeve 33 is mounted to rock on this rod or shaft 32, the sleeve havingspaced sockets 34 and 35 (Fig. 3) which receive the lower ends ofupwardly directed rigid arms 36 and 37 respectively, which support aflap closing blade 38 designed to engage and close the flap 2 of thecarton. The sleeve 33 .is provided with a duplex crank arm 39 (Figs. 3and 5) which receives between its spaced parts the upper end 40 of aconnecting rod 41 provided at its lower end with a fork 42 (Fig. l)which straddles the shaft 27. The upper part of this fork is providedwith a cam follower roll 43 which engages a cam slot 44 in a cam 45fixed to the shaft 27. Thus, for each revolution of the shaft 27, thesleeve 33 is rocked back and forth so i as to move the flap-closingblade 38 from the broken line position of Fig. 1 down to the full lineposition and back again.

The spaced rails 4 and 5 (Figs. 2, 3 and 6) on which the carton restsduring the flap-closing operation are arranged to swing about ahorizontal axis 46 at their left-hand ends (as viewed in Fig. 6), beingpivoted to spaced, parallel, stationary rails 47 which constitute asupport for the closed carton while it is being delivered from theclosing mechanism. At the point at which the movable rails 4 and 5 jointhe fixed rails 47, notches 48 (Figs. 1 and 2) are formed for a purposeheerinafter described.

Connecting rods 49 and 50 (Figs. 2 and 3) are pivotallyconnected to therespective rails 4 and 5 at the points 51 and 52, the lower end (Fig; 3)of these connecting rods being forked, as shown at 53 and 54respectively, and straddling the shaft 27. Each of these connecting rods49 and 50 is provided with a cam follower roll 56 and 57 (Figs. 2 and 6)respectively, which enter cam grooves in the opposite sides of a duplexface cam 55 (Fig. 3) which is fixed to the shaft 27. Thus at eachrevolution of the shaft 27, the rails 4 and 5 are swung upwardly aboutthe pivotal axis 46, from the horizontal position shown in Fig. 1 to thenearly vertical position in Fig. 6, and then returned to the horizontalposition.

A horizontal frame member 58 (Fig. 6) extends from one to the other ofthe rails 8 and 8 being rigidly united to each rail and supporting abracket 59 having bearings 60 and 61 (Fig. 4) for a rocker comprising ahorizontal shaft 62. This shaft is provided at its opposite ends withrigid disk members 63 and 64 (Fig. 4) to which crank arms 65 and 66 arerigidly but adjustably secured. These crank arms 65 and 66 arepreferably of sheet metal, bent to the desired shape, and are providedwith flap-closing shoes 67 and 68, respectively at their free ends,these shoes being designed to engage the main, front closure flip d atpoints closely adjacent to its respective lateral e ges.

As here illustrated, the disk 64 is provided with an eccentric portion(Fig. 6) which carries a crank pin 69 to which one end of a connectingrod 70 is pivotally secured. The other end of this connecting rod ispivoted at 71 to the upper end of a lever 72 (Figs. 4 and 6.) pivoted ona shaft 73 fixed in bearings 76 carried by parallel bracket members 74and 75 (Fig. 4) integrally joined to the frame member 58. The lever 72is provided with a hub portion 72 which turns on this fixed shaft 73,and with an arm 77 which-extends down from this hub portion and to whichcoil springs 78 are socured. The opposite ends (not shown) of thesesprings are attached to a fixed part of the frame, the arrangement beingsuch that the springs tend to swing the lever 72 in a counterclockwisedirection, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 6. This lever 72 has a cam followerroll 79 which engages an edge cam 80 (Fig. 2') fixed to the shaft 20,the arrangement being such that for each revolution of the shaft 20, thearms 65 and 66, with their flap closing shoes 67, 68 are swung upwardlyfrom their normal inoperative position, shown in full lines in Fig. 2,to the broken line position and then back again.

Brackets '81 and 82 (Fig. 5) are fixed to the rails 8 and 8respectively, and provide bearings for parallel, spaced, horizontalshafts '83 and 84, these shafts being parallel to :the rails 4 and 5when the latter are in their normal horizontal position. Crank arms 85and 86 are secured to the shafts 33 and 84 respectively, the arm 85projecting upwardly and the arm 86 projecting downwardly, these armsbeing connected by an adjustable connecting rod 87 which constrains theshafts 83 and 84 to rock to the same extent in opposite directions. Theshaft 83 carries 'a bracket 88 to which a flap-bending finger 89 isadjustably secured, and the shaft 84 carries a bracket 90 to which theflap-bending finger 91 is secured. These fingers 89 and 91 are designedtoengage the auxiliary tuck-in flaps 0 and p of the main front closureflap d and thereby to position the tuck-in flaps so that they enterbetween the end walls of the carton. The shaft 84, as here illustrated,is provided with a crank arm 92 (Fig. 2) to whichan upper end of anadjustable connecting rod .93 is pivotally attached, the lower end ofthis connecting rod being pivoted to a lever 94 having a hub portion 94(Fig. 5) which turns on the fixed shaft 73. A second arm 96 is fixed tothis hub portion 94 and carries a cam follower roll 97 which engages acam slot 98 in the face of cam :80. 'The parts are so arranged that foreach revolution of the shaft 20, the flapbending fingers 89 and :91 aremoved from the inoperative position shownin full lines in Fig. 5., tothe operative position shown in broken lines in the same view, and thenback again.

After the carton has been fully closed, it is preferably delivered to acompressor mechanism, indicated generally by the numeral 9.9 (Fig. 1).This compressor, as here illustrated, comprisesan endless belt conveyor100 upon whose upper run the carton C rests as it passes through thecompressor. Thecompressor also comprises spaced parallel endless belts101 and 102 designed to contact the opposite end walls of the carton.These belts pass around vertical rollers carried by shafts 103 which-areturned in opposite directions by belts 104. Since this compressormechanism forms no part of the present invention it is not furtherdescribed in detail.

In the operation of the machine, and assuming that a filled carton C, inthe condition above described, has been advanced into the closingmechanism and has come to rest on the rails 4 and 5 and in contact withthe stop 6, and has thereby closed the switch which energizes thecircuit of the solenoid 25, the one revolution clutch is thereby broughtinto action to initiate a single revolution of the sprocket wheel 21..Through the mechanism above described, the blade 38 is immediatelybrought down from the position shown in broken lines in Fig. l to thatshown in full lines and in so doing contacts the horizontally projectingflap e of the carton and bends the latter down substantially to avertical position. The cam which actuates the blade 38 is so designed asto cause the blade to dwell in this position.

While the blade 38 is moving down, or even before the downward movementof blade 38 begins, the flapbending fingers 89 and 91 swing upwardly andinwardly toward each other. The parts are so timed that the flaps and pare bent to lie in slightly convergent planes, approximately at rightangles to the flap d, as shown in broken lines (Fig. otherwise theupward movement of the front closure flap d would cramp the edges of theflaps 0 and p against the end walls of the carton The fingers 89 and 91continue to hold the flaps 0 and p in the inwardly inclined position ofFig. 5 until the front flap d moves upwardly to a point where the flaps0 and p have entered the carton. The fingers 89 and 91 then returnimmediately to their normal position, leaving flaps 0 and p in contactwith the inner surfaces of the carton end walls. The arms 65 and 66 havealready begun to swing upwardly so as to contact the shoes 67 and 68with the under surface of the main, front closure flap a. The shoes 67and 68 are of substantial length, and the right-hand ends of these shoes(as viewed in Fig. 2) first contact the flap d. As soon as they contactthe under surface of the flap d, they begin to turn the flap upwardlyabout its junction with the bottom member c of the carton, the flaps 0and p (which have been bent inwardly by the fingers 89 and 91 abovedescribed) sliding in contact with the inner surfaces of the end wallsof the carton as the flap d swings upwardly. As the arms 64 and :55continue to rock upwardly, the elongate surfaces of the shoes 67 and 68slide relatively to the surface of the flap cl so as to provide acontinuing turning pressure against said surface as the flap turnsupwardly and while the arms 64 and 65 continue to swing. When flap dnears the vertical position, the contact between the shoes and the flapis at the upper portions of the shoes. As the front flap :1 nears itsclosed position, its upper free edge overlaps the lower part of the flap2 which is still held in position by the blade 33. As soon as the upperedge of the flap d has overlapped the flap e, the blade 38 is retracted,thus permitting the inner surface of the upper part of the flap d tooverlie the flap e. Assuming that either of the flaps e or d has beensupplied with adhesive at the proper location, this adhesive will securethe flaps in closed position. t may also be assumed that the outersurfaces of the flaps 0 and p have been provided with adhesive beforethey are turned in, and thus when the carton is closed the parts are alladhesively united.

As soon as the blade 38 has been retracted from the flap e, the rails 4and 5 begin to rise from the horizontal position to the position shownin Fig. 6, thus tipping the closed carton through an angle of 90. Thenotches 48 facilitate this operation, since the edge of the carton findsa fulcrum point at these notches and does not tend to slip while beingturned. The shoes 67 and 6% are rocked downwardly toward their normalposition, in time with the tipping of the carton (Fig. 6), so as to easethe latter down onto the rails 47. The carton-propelling members 29 and30 are so positioned on the sprocket chain 28 that, as the cartoncompletes its tipping movement and comes to rest with the closed frontflap d h contacting the rails 47, one of the impelling elements comesinto engagement with the carton, contacting that wall of the cartonwhich was the bottom Wall during the filling and closing operation, andpropelling the carton into the compressor mechanism 99. This completes acycle of operations, the parts all being restored to their initialposition as the one-revolution clutch completes its cycle of operationand the sprocket wheel 21 comes to rest.

It is contemplated that automatic stop mechanism may be provided, ifdesired, to prevent the entry of a new carton into the closing mechanismuntil the completion of the cycle of operation above described, butsince such stop mechanisms are well known in this art, it is con- 6sidered unnecessary to illustrate or describe such mechanism in furtherdetail.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has herein beenillustrated and described by way of example it is to be understood thatthe invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modifications fallingwithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for closing a set up carton, open at one side only andhaving closure flaps hinged to opposite edges respectively of its openside, one of said flaps having auxiliary fiaps hinged respectively tothose of its edges which intersect its own hinged edge and which aredisposed wholly within the carton when the latter is closed, saidapparatus comprising folding means operative to dispose the closureflaps in closed position, said folding means comprising oppositelymoving fingers, op.- erative to fold the auxiliary flaps to lie inslightly convergent planes, approximately at right angles to the closureflap to which they are hinged, before closure of the last-named closureflap is initiated.

2. Apparatus for closing a set up carton, open at one side only andhaving closure flaps hinged to opposite edges respectively of its openside, one of said closure flaps having auxiliary flaps hingedrespectively to those of its edges which intersect its own hinged edgeand which are disposed wholly within the carton when the latter isclosed, said apparatus comprising folding means including aflap-contacting element for closing said lastnamed closure flap, andoppositely moving parts operative to dispose the auxiliary flaps inclosed position, the folding means including actuating cams so contouredthat the auxiliary flaps are moved to lie in convergent planes, makingangles slightly less than with the closure flap to which they are hingedbefore the closing of the latter closure flap is initiated.

3. Apparatus for closing a set up carton, open at one side only andhaving closure flaps hinged to opposite edges respectively of its openside, one of said flaps having auxiliary flaps hinged respectively tothose of its edges which intersect its own hinged edge and which aredisposed wholly within the carton when the latter is closed, saidapparatus comprising folding means operative to dispose the closureflaps in closed position, said folding means comprising a rockercarrying an elongate blade engageable with the outer surface of one ofthe closure flaps and means for turning the rocker thereby to fold saidlatter flap, a second rocker turning about an axis parallel to butspaced from the axis of the first rocker, and flap-engaging means,carried by said latter rocker, operative to turn the other closure flapto closed position, and means operative to turn the auxiliary flaps tolie in planes approximately perpendicular to the plane of the flap towhich they are hinged.

4. Apparatus for closing a setup carton, open at one side only, andhaving closure flaps hinged to opposite edges respectively of its openside, one of said flaps having auxiliary flaps hinged respectively tothose of its edges which intersect its own hinged edge and which aredisposed wholly within the carton when the latter is closed, saidapparatus comprising folding means operative to dispose the closureflaps in closed position, said folding means comprising substantiallyparallel rockers and means for turning them in opposite directions intimed relation, a folding blade carried by one rocker, said blade beingoperative to engage the outer surface of one of said closure flaps andto turn said flap to closed position, a pair of spaced arms fixed to theother of said rockers, each of said latter arms being provided with ashoe operative to engage the outer face of the other closure flapadjacent to the lateral edges of the latter, respectively, and to turnthe latter flap to closed position, and means operative to turn theauxiliary flaps to lie in convergent planes so that their free edges arecloser together than their junctions with the flap to which they areattached.

5. Apparatus for closing a setup carton, open at one side only, andhaving closure flaps hinged to opposite edges respectively of its openside, one of said flaps having auxiliary flaps hinged respectively tothose of its edges which intersect its own hinged edge and which aredisposed wholly within the carton when the latter is closed, saidapparatus comprising folding means operative to dispose the closureflaps in closed position, said folding means comprising substantiallyparallel 7 rockers .and means for turning :them in opposite directionsin timed relation, a folding blade carried by one rocker, said bladebeing operative to engage :the outer surface of one of said closureflaps and to turn said flap to closed position, a pair of spaced armsfixed to'the other of said rockers, .eachofsaid latter arms .beingprovided with a shoe operative to engage the outer face of the otherclosure flap adjacent to the lateral edges of the latter, respectively,and 10 turn the latter flap to closed position, anda pair of rockfingers, turning about parallel axes in planesperpendicular to the axesof the aforesaid rockers, and meansfor'turning said rock fingers inopposite directions, said rock fingers being engageable with theauxiliary flaps thereby .to turn the latter so that they lie in planeswhichconverge so :that the free edges of the auxiliary flaps are nearer:together than their junctions with the closure .fiap to which they areattached.

6. Apparatus for closing a carton :open at one side only and having a.top front-closure flap hinged to the edge of its upper wall, a bottomfrontfclosure flap hinged to its lower wall, said latter flap being wideenough to overlap the top closure flap when the flaps are closed, andauxiliary flaps hinged to the lateral edges respectively of the bottomclosure flap, said apparatus comprising parallel rockers disposed inhorizontal planes above and below the lower and upper walls respectivelyof the carton, a blade carried by the upper rocker operative to fold thetop front-closure fiap downwardly to closed position, a pair of spacedarms .carried by the lower rocker operative to fold the bottomfront-closure flap upwardly to closed-position, and means operative tofold the auxiliary flaps .so that they lie in slightly convergentplanes, and means for rocking the two rockers and for moving saidauxiliary flaps, being so constructed and arranged that the auxiliaryflaps are folded while the top front-closure flap is held in foldedposition and before closure of the bottom front-closure flap isinitiated.

7. Apparatus according 'to claim 6 and wherein the means for folding theauxiliary flaps comprises .a pair of ifingers rockable about parallelaxes in planes per-- pendicu'lar to the axes of the rockers, and meansfor turning said fingers oppositely in timed relation.

8, Apparatus for closing a set up car-ton open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two at least of theaforesaid walls, a top front-closure flap hinged to the forward edge ofits upper wall, a bottom front-closure flap hinged to the forward edgeof its lower wall, said latter flap being wide enough to overlap the topfront-closure flap when the flaps are closed, and auxiliary flaps hingedto the lateral edges respectively of .the bottom front-closure flap,said apparatus comprising means for guiding the I carton to move along apredetermined path, abutment means engageable by the advancing face :ofthe carton thereby to terminate forward motion of the carton, meansoperative to dispose the 'top and bottom frontclosure flaps and theauxiliary flaps in closed position, and means for thereafter tipping theclosed carton so that it rests upon the folded flaps.

9. Apparatus for closing a set up carton open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two at least of theaforesaid walls. a top front-closure flap hinged to the forward edge ofits upper wall, a bottom front-closure .flap hinged to the forward edgeof its lower wall, said latter flap being wide enough 'to overlap thetop front-closure flap when the flaps are closed and auxiliary flapshinged to the lateral edges respectively of the bottom front-closureflap, said apparatus comprising means defining a path along which acarton may move toward a closing station, means defining a second path,intersecting the first path. along which a closed carton may move fromthe closing station, means at the closing station for disposing the topand bottom front-closure flaps and the auxiliary flaps in closedposition, and means operative to initiate movement of the closed cartonalong said second path.

l0. Apparatus for closing a set up carton open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear Wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two catileast of theaforesaidwal ls,

a top front-closure flap hinged to the forward edge of its upper Wall, abottom front-closure flap hinged to the forward edge of its lower wall,said latter flap being wide enough to overlap the top front-closure flapwhen the flaps are closed and auxiliary flaps hinged to the lateraledges respectively of the bottom frontclosure flap, said apparatuscomprising means defining intersecting paths along which a carton maymove to and from a closing station, means at the closing station fordisposing the top and bottom front-closure flaps and .the auxiliaryflaps in closed position, means operative to tip the closed carton sothat it rests upon the closed flaps, and means for advancing the cartonwhile so positioned along the second of said paths.

11. Apparatus for closing acarton open at one side and having a topfront-closure flap hinged to the edge and its upper wall, a bottomfront-closure flap hinged to its lower wall, said latter flap being wideenough to overlap the top front-closure flap when the flaps are closed,and auxiliary flaps hinged to the lateral edges respectively of thebottom front-closure flap, said apparatus comprising a folding bladeengageable with the outer surface of the top front-closure flap, meansto move said blade downwardly thereby to dispose said flap insubstantially vertical closed position, a pair of folding shoesengageable with the bottom front-closure flap closely adjacent to thoseedges of the latter to which the auxiliary flaps are hinged, said shoesbeing elongate thereby to contact the flap for a substantial distancealong each of said edges, a pair of rock fingers engageable with theouter surfaces of the auxiliary flaps, respectively, means for movingsaid fingers thereby to turn said auxiliary flaps so that they lie inslightly convergent planes, and means for moving the shoes to disposethe bottom front-closure flap in closed position where it overlaps thetop front-closure flap while the fingers continue to hold the auxiliaryflaps in said-convergent relation whereby said auxiliary flaps areentered between the ends walls of the carton.

1'2. Apparatus for closing a set up carton open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two at least of theaforesaid walls, a top front-closure flap hinged to the forward edge ofits upper wall, a bottom front-closure flap hinged to the forward edgeof its lower wall, said latter flap being wide enough to overlap the topfront-closure flap when the flaps are closed and auxiliary flaps hingedto the lateral edges respectively of the bottom front-closure flap, saidapparatus comprising means for folding the top and bottom front-closureflaps successively, and means operative to bend the auxiliary flapsuntil their free edges are nearer together than their bases whereby theyare constrained to enter the carton as the bottom frontclosure flap isbeing folded.

13. Apparatus for closing a set up carton open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined'to two at least of theaforesaid walls, a top front-closure flap hinged to the forward edge ofits upper wall, a bottom front-closure flap hinged to the forward edgeof its lower wall, said latter flap being wide enough to overlap the topfront-closure flap when the flaps are closed and auxiliary flaps hingedto the lateraledges respectively of the bottom front-closure flap, saidapparatuscomprising means for folding the .top and bot-tom front-closureflaps one after the other, respectively, and oppositely :moving fingersengageable with the auxiliary flaps and which are operative to fold said.flaps so that they .lie in nearly parallel but slightly convergentplanes as the bottom front-closure flap is vbeing folded.

14. Apparatus for closing a set up carton open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, end 'walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two at least of theaforesaidwalls, atop front-closure flap "hinged to the forward edge of its upperwall, a bottom front-closure flap hinged to the forward edge of itslower wall, said latter flap being wide enough to overlap the topfront-closure flap when the flaps are closed and auxiliaryfiaps hingedto the lateral edges respectively of the bottom front-closure flap, saidapparatus comprising means defining intersecting paths along which acarton may move toward and from a closing station located at theintersection of said paths, means for advancing a carton along one ofsaid paths toward the closing station WilhIhB open side of 'the cartonatone side of the-path and with a-vert'ical end wall of the carton inadvance, means to terminate advance of the carton when it reaches 'theclosing station, means at the closing station operative to fold theseveral flaps and to dispose them in closed-position, means operative to-tip the carton so that its closed flaps are at 'the bottom, means tomove the carton while so positioned away from the closing station alongthe second path, and means operative to apply pressure to the end wallsof the carton as it moves along the latterpath.

15. Apparatus for closing a set .up carton open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two at least of theaforesaid walls, a top front-closure flap hinged to the forward edge ofits upper wall, a bottom front-closure flap hinged to :the forward edgeof its lower wall, said ilatter flap being wide enough to overlap thetop front-closure .fl-ap when the flaps are closed and auxiliary 'fiapshinged -to the lateral edges respectively of the bottom front-closureflap, said apparatus comprising means defining intersecting paths alongwhich a carton is moved toward and from a closing station located at theintersection of said paths, means for advancing a carton along one ofsaid paths toward the closing station with the open side of the cartonat one side of said path and with a vertical end wall of the carton inadvance, an abutment engageable with the advancing end wall of thecarton thereby to terminate its advance when it arrives at the closingstation, means for folding the flaps so that the auxiliary flaps lieagainst the inner surfaces respectively of the vertical end walls of thecarton and the bottom front-closure flap overlaps the top closure flap,means for tipping the closed carton so that it rests upon the closedflaps, and means for advancing the carilon while so positioned along thesecond of said pa s.

16. Apparatus for closing a set up carton open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two at least of theaforesaid walls, a top front-closure flap hinged to the forward edge ofits upper wall, a bottom front-closure flap hinged to the forward edgeof its lower wall, said latter flap being wide enough to overlap the topfront-closure flap when the flaps are closed and auxiliary flaps hingedto the lateral edges respectively of the bottom front-closure flap, saidapparatus comprising means defining intersecting paths along which acarton may move toward and from a closing station located at theintersection of said paths, means for advancing a carton along one ofsaid paths toward the closing station, means to terminate advance of thecarton when it reaches the closing station, folding means at the closingstation for disposing the several flaps in closed position, and means,including a one-revolution clutch, for actuating the folding means.

17. Apparatus for closing a set up carton open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two at least of theaforesaid walls. a top front-closure flap hinged to the forward edge ofits upper wall, a bottom front-closure flap hinged to the forward edgeof its lower wall, said latter flap being wide enough to overlap the topfront-closure flap when the flaps are closed, and auxiliary flaps hingedto the lateral edges respectively of the bottom front-closure flap, saidapparatus comprising means defining a path along which a carton movestoward a closing station, means for advancing a carton along said path,means to terminate advance of the carton when the carton reaches theclosing station, folding devices at the closing station operative todispose the several flaps in closed position, actuating means for thefolding devices including a part driven by a one-revolution clutch,comprising a controlling dog, and means for actuating said dog.

18. Apparatus for closing a set up carton open at one side only andcomprising parallel too and bottom walls. a rear wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two at least of theaforesaid walls, a top front-closure fiap hinged to the edge of itsupper wall, a bottom front-closure flap hinged to its lower wall, saidlatter flap being wide enough to overlap the top front-closure flap whenthe flaps are closed and auxiliary flaps hinged to the lateral edgesrespectively of the bottom front-closure flap, said ,apparatuscomprising means defining intersecting paths along which a carton movestoward and from a closing station located at the intersection of saidpaths, a reciprocating pusher for advancing a carton along one of saidpaths toward the closing station with the open side of the carton at oneside of the path and with a vertical end wall in advance, folding meansat the closing station operative to bend the several flaps to closedposition, drive means for the folding means including a part driven by aonerevolution clutch means automatically operative to start rotation ofsaid part when a cartonenters the closing station, an endless chain formoving closed cartons away from the closing station along the other ofsaid paths, said chain having spaced carton propelling elements, meansoperative to tip a ,closed carton so that it rests upon its closedflaps, and means operative to move the chain thereby to propel .theclosed carton along the second of said paths.

19. Apparatus for closing a set up carton 'open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two at least of theaforesaid walls, a top front-closure flap hinged to the edge of itsupper wall, a bottom front-closure flap hinged to its lower wall, saidlatter flap being wide enough to overlap the top front-closure flap whenthe flaps are closed and auxiliary flaps hinged to the lateral edgesrespectively of the bottom front-closure flap, said apparatus comprisingmeans defining intersecting horizontal paths along which a carton maymove toward and from a closing station located at the intersection ofsaid paths, a reciprocating pusher for advancing an open carton alongthe first path toward the closing station, folding devices at theclosing station, means for actuating the folding devices for closing allof the several flaps and an endless chain having spacedcarton-propelling elements for moving the closed carton away from theclosing -station, and means for actuating the pusher and chain in timedrelation.

20. Apparatus for closing a set up carton open at one side only andcomprising parallel top and bottom walls, a rear wall, end walls eachcomprising united tabs integrally joined to two at least of theaforesaid walls, a top front-closure flap hinged to the edge of itsupper wall, a bottom front-closure flap hinged to its lower wall, saidlatter flap being wide enough to overlap the top front-closure flap whenthe flaps are closed and auxiliary flaps hinged to the lateral edgesrespectively of the bottom front-closure flap, said apparatus comprisingmeans defining a path along which a carton moves toward a closingstation, means at the closing station for disposing all of the severalflaps in closed position, means at the closing station defining asupport upon which the carton rests while the flaps are being closed,said support being hinged to tip upwardly about one edge, and means fortipping the support thereby to tip the closed carton so that it restsupon its closed flaps.

21. Apparatus for closing a carton open at one side and having a topfront-closure flap hinged to the edge of its upper wall, a bottomfront-closure flap hinged to is lower wall, said latter flap being wideenough to overlap the top front-closure flap when the flaps are closedand auxiliary flaps hinged to the lateral edges respectively of thebottom front-closure flap, said apparatus comprising means definingintersecting paths along which a carton may move toward and from aclosing station located at the intersection of said paths, means at theclosing station for closing all of the several flaps, spaced parallelrails defining the second of said paths, said rails having movable partsconstituting the effective floor of the closing station, said floorbeing pivoted to rock upwardly about a horizontal axis transverse tosaid second path, and means for rocking said floor thereby to tip aclosed carton resting thereon through an angle of approximately 22.Apparatus for closing a carton open at one side and having a topfront-closure flap hinged to the edge of its upper wall, a bottomfront-closure flap hinged to its lower wall, said latter flap being wideenough to overlap the top front-closure flap when the flaps are closedand auxiliary flaps hinged to the lateral edges respectively of thebottom front-closure flap, said an paratus comprising means definingintersecting paths along which a carton may move toward and from aclosing station located at the intersection of said paths, meansconstituting the effective floor of the closing station upon which acarton rests while its flaps are being closed, said floor being pivotedto rock about a horizontal axis transverse to the second of said paths,means at the closing station for closing all of the several flaps, andmeans for rocking said fioor thereby to tip the closed carton so that itrests upon its closed flaps.

23. Apparatus for closing a carton open at one side and having a topfront-closure flap hinged to the edge of its upper wall, a bottomfront-closure flap hinged to its lower wall, said latter flap being wideenough to overlap the top front-closure flap when the flaps are closedand auxiliary flaps hinged to the lateral edges respectively of thebottom front-closure flap, said apparatus comprising means definingintersecting paths along which a carton moves toward and from a closingstation atthe intersection of said paths, spaced rails defining thesecond of said paths, said rails having rockable portions whichconstitute the eflective floor of the closing station and which arepivoted to rock about a horizontal axis transverse to the second path,the rails having notches adjacent to the pivotal axis of their rockableportions, means for closing all of the several flaps at the closingstation, and means for swinging said rockable portions of the railsupwardly about their pivotal axes whereby a closed carton resting uponthem is tipped, the notches being so constructed and arranged as toreceive the edge of the carton, as said pivotal portions of the railsrise, thereby to provide a fulcrum about which the carton is tipped torest upon its closed flaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

